A Change of Scenery
by sparkfirereader
Summary: Hermione needs to go away to heal from the mental scars left behind from the war. When she finally finds comfort in another will their happiness continue to flourish? Will those from their past be able to muddle up their happiness? HG/JB
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello fellow readers. Please let me know what you think. Criticism is highly appreciated. And please let me know what your thoughts are on what will happen. Sorry for the length. Hopefully the next ones will be longer.

Hermione strode down the terminal of the Seattle Airport in her blue knee high boots and sporting a dark denim mini skirt and vintage Beatles t shirt under her black trench coat. She had decided to take a break from the world of magic and visit her parents who had decided to make the move to a small town by the name of Forks, Washington.

The war was over, but she could never forget the marks that marred her skin. The marks that were worse were left behind invisible to others but traumatizing to her; they were those little reminder that would spark an old memory of the days spent worrying about death coming for her friends and herself. Harry and Ron had recovered from the past, but she simply couldn't move on. They had pleaded that she stay with them, but she knew she had to leave if she would ever begin to move on.

She stepped onto the escalator to reach the floor level. As her heels struck the tiles of the ground floor she looked up and saw her parents excitedly rushing towards her before they engulfed her in a hug.

"Hermione we are so glad you finally decided to visit with us for a while." Her mother told her as they released her.

"I missed you both so much, and I really just needed a break." She responded as they walked to the car.

After a while Hermione glanced out of the window and saw that they had finally reached their destination. Forks looked like your average small town. A few shops sprinkled here and there. Just the basics of what a town would need to survive but nothing extremely extraordinary. She decided that the town was exceptionally average, but something in the back of her mind made her wonder if this was really true of Forks.

The car took a left turn into a private drive that led to a beautiful Spanish style home with a paved stone walkway through a path surrounded by greenery and splashes of floral color. She stood next to the car as she took in the architectural gem she would be residing in.

"We were quite surprised when we found out this beauty was on the market at just the time we came looking. Luckily no one else swiped it before we did." Her dad said to her when he saw the awe she had spread all over her face.

"It's perfect" she said as she walked up the stone walkway to the dark wooden entrance to the enchantingly beautiful home.

Hermione explored the house for the rest of the day until her mother called her to the dining room for dinner. They sat at the table discussing her plans while she was in town. Mrs. Granger finally brought up continuing her education.

"So Hermione have you given any thought to attending Forks High?"

"Yes. I've decided to attend. At least until I decide to return."

"Well we can go up to the school and get you registered for your classes tomorrow if you like."

"That will be fine. May I be excused?"

"Of course you may, sweetheart." Her mother replied.

Hermione stood and made her way upstairs to where her bedroom awaited her. She stepped through the threshold to be met with the cream colored walls. Her room had a plush cream colored carpet as well. The furniture throughout the room was a deep mahogany. The queen sized bed was fitted with a red comforter and plenty of fluffy pillows.

She walked over to the door that led to her private bathroom. She walked up to the sink and turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face. She looked in the mirror and spotted the long slender scar that would forever mar her skin. It ran from the top of her neck down the length of her torso. She gave a sigh as she dried herself.

"No more feeling sorry for yourself," she said softly to herself. She prepared herself for bed and lay to rest for the day to come.

(Dream Sequence)

The harsh metallic scent of blood burned her senses as she found herself surrounded by a flurry of spells and violence when suddenly she was hit with a spell from behind. Her body erupted in pain as she fought the screams down her throat. The pain was overwhelming, and thoughts became impossible.

(End Dream)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for all of your comments and favoriting my story.

Thanks for your comments The Alternative Source (Yeah I was looking at that 3 line dream too. I'll try to make them better. Great advice about using the dream sequences thanks so much.), Marsgoddess1 (Yeah I think Jacob is kind of ignored by everyone. I totally agree with you about Bella.), cjewellm (I will do my best to update, but classes start up again mid next month.), brownie20 (Thank you for your interest in my story). I'm sorry if I mess any of the events within the Harry Potter story never finished the last book. Oh while I'm at it this goes for the entire story: I do not own JK's characters or Stephanie Meyer's characters, but I have come up with the story plot.

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Chapter II

Brand New Day

(Dream Sequence)

The dark dank room smelled of mold and a mysterious rotting scent lingered in the dense air. Hermione was hanging from her wrists which were binded by frigid iron shackles. She was exposed to the elements except for what little her undergarments covered. She struggled against her bindings to release her battered wrists. The chains clinked against the stone wall in which she was propped against. She could feel the many painful injuries which would only serve to continue to keep her in a weakened state.

Suddenly she heard harsh steps nearing the end of the dungeon in which she was being held. The wildly chilling cackle was heard from somewhere in the darkness of the cell. The ice cold razor sharp edge of a dagger could be felt slowly gliding along her neck almost tauntingly.

"So the mudblood finally graces us with her presence." Bellatrix spoke with a hint of excitement, as she was aware that she was about to torture yet another helpless victim.

A slight pressure was added to dagger, and a scream escaped from Hermione's raw throat. The blade left a crimson stream in its wake as she trailed it from Hermione's jaw down the length of her torso. Tears streamed down Hermione's face as the pain suddenly exploded with a quick cherry red spell was sent her way.

(End Dream Sequence)

BRRIINNG! Hermione fell out of the bed onto the cream carpet from shock. She looked up at her side table to realize that her parents had set an alarm to wake her. She pressed the off button harshly to shut off the horrible sound it was emitting. She wiped away at the tears that had escaped her eyes while she was asleep.

She stepped over to her bathroom and stripped before entering the glass shower. Several streams of steaming water sprayed over her and relaxed her tense muscles as the warm water kneaded her skin. When she finished in the shower she encased herself in a fluffy stark white towel. She walked over to the counter which held her hair products and styling tools. During her last year at Hogwarts, her roommates finally gotten their hands on her hair and now it laid halfway down her back in beautiful sleek curls without any sort of frizz at all.

She decided to wear her hair in a high ponytail with her sideswept bangs sweeping perfectly to the side. Adding a bit of hairspray to keep it in place she decided her hair was presentable. She lined her honey brown eyes with a coal black liner and added mascara. Then she painted her lips with a classic red lipstick and added a clear gloss over her lips.

She walked over to the walk-in closet which was covered in brand new clothes her mom had bought in excitement when Hermione informed them that she was coming. She selected a pair of straight leg black jeans and a basic white v neck t shirt. She slipped on a pair of black high heeled patent booties with a cage design onto her feet.

She entered the kitchen where her parents were seated at the table enjoying a morning coffee while sat across from each other reading different sections of the local paper.

"Good morning Mum, Dad."

"Hello sweetheart, another cloudy day today." Her father informed her as she took the pitcher of orange juice and poured it into a clear glass.

"Hermione, I don't have to go into the clinic until 11 if you would like to go up to the school before then." Her mother said as she looked up from the article she had been perusing previously.

"Yeah, the sooner the better," Hermione said.

"Okay, well I'll get my coat and we can be on our way. Oh by the way would you mind going to the garage with me for a bit." She said as they reached the entryway where Mrs. Granger had her coat on a metal coat rack.

"Sure. What's in the garage?" she asked as she grabbed a black leather motorcycle jacket with an asymmetrical zipper.

"I just need you to help me move something out of the way." Her mother replied.

They made their way outside to the detached 3 car garage adjacent to the house. As they entered she saw her parents cars. Her mom's midnight blue Mercedes E-Class was parked in the first spot. Her dad's black Chevrolet Avalanche was parked in the second spot, but there was something peeking out from behind it. She walked over to investigate, and she was quite shocked when she saw it.

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Author's Note: Okay, please if you have any idea what Hermione's dream car would be please let me know, or should it be a motorcycle? Hmm, Let me know what you would choose. As always let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay all of you have submitted awesome vehicle choices, but since I'm not ready to unveil her new mode of transportation I'm going to bring in our leading man of the story a little ahead of schedule. Thank you everyone for all of the reviews. Thank you all for your input. Oh and to hbwriter85 and The Alternative Source we will have to see how they go into the story. I have a few ideas for some of them, but I'm going to play it by ear. So sorry for not updating on time, I got sick but hopefully I'm over it now. I know terrible title, but it was the best i came up with

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Chapter III

Running Thoughts

Beads of sweat formed across his tan forehead as he took his daily jog. Everyday Jacob would do a loop around the reservation and the town of Forks. The others in the pack just think it is so he can catch another glimpse of the girl that has taken permanent residence in his mind since the day she returned to Forks to stay with her father.

Bella has consumed his thoughts since he laid eyes on her that day. Those thoughts had become ever more frequent since she broke his heart by choosing that stupid bloodsucker. The bitterness ate at him every day; yet he still pined for her constantly. How could he just move on after finding his love?

He awoke from the depressing state to realize that he had been heading to her house. They had agreed to continue on as friends after she had chosen the bloodsucker. Every time he saw them together or she would leave him to go with the bloodsucker it made the pain that much worse.

He stopped and looked at his surroundings where he noticed an attractive Spanish style house that had previously been on the market was suddenly occupied. That was strange, not many people moved to Forks on purpose; they sort of just ended up there somehow. It was not exactly a destination spot with the ever constant cloud cover and cool climate. Bella probably knew who had moved into the home; it was inevitable that everyone in small towns would know everything about each other.

He saw two figures moving outside, but he could barely make them out from the distance. From the size of the figures he determined that they were both probably women. After the two entered the side building which he figured was a garage a shriek of excitement was emitted from within. He wondered what had caused this but decided instead to continue on with his daily ritual.

A while later he was still running alongside the street when he heard the crunch of tires against the paved road coming down the street in the same direction he was headed. As the car passed him he noticed it was midnight blue Mercedes. He wasn't able to see the occupants of the car because of the obsidian tinted glass separating them from him.

He was momentarily distracted by the car as he wondered if it was the new occupants of the home he had passed. The road was hardly ever used. That home was the only building located within this section land, which was on the outskirts of Forks. Before he knew it he was already on the reservation in front of his home, which he lived with his father.

He stepped into the home he had grown up in drenched with sweat which had formed during his run. He heard his father in the kitchen, the wheels of his wheelchair moving against the wooden floor.

"Hey dad, I'm back." He called in the direction of the kitchen.

"Hello. Make sure you take a shower before you get your sweat all over the place." Billy said jokingly.

"Sure dad." Jacob said with a smile as he made his way to the small bathroom across the hall from his bedroom.

He closed the door and sighed and removed his clothes before stepping into the shower where he was met with the cool refreshing spray of water. After he finished removing the sweat he had collected over his run he turned off the spray. He ran his hand through his short hair and grimaced. Sometimes he wished he had not cut his hair, even though it was much easier to deal with now.

He grabbed the towel he had set aside for when he finished and quickly dried himself off before wrapping the green towel around his waist. He opened the door and crossed the hallway to his bedroom. He had partially outgrown the room. A twin bed was stuffed in the corner and in typical teenage boy fashion his floor had a few piles of clothing strewn here and there. He walked over to an old drawer set and pulled one of the drawers open. He picked out a pair of worn blue jeans and a plain gray cotton t shirt.

After he dressed he ran a comb through his hair and made his way to the kitchen where Billy had breakfast ready for him. This had become their routine ever since Bella had chosen Edward. Jacob would go for an early run, take a shower, and then they would sit together and have breakfast.

"So, how are the boys doing? Things have been quiet on the reservation for a while." Billy asked as Jacob sat down.

"They're fine. The guys have been hanging around Port Angeles during the weekends apparently it's a popular hangout these days."

"Really, what's going on down there?"

"Some of the local bikers have been getting together racing and stuff."

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Author's Note: Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading. Not sure quite exactly how everyone will end up fitting into the story, but you will have to wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey everyone, here is part 4 hope you like it.

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Chapter IV

Cars, Boys, & School

"It's amazing! How did you know I wanted one?" Hermione questioned her mother her eyes never once leaving the gorgeous machine that stood before her. An all carbon black Suzuki GSX-R1000 sat in the final slot of the garage.

Hermione had taken to racing motorcycles after the war as an escape from the magic world. Ron was very upset when he found out about her new hobby. He called her 'bloody mental' for getting on a giant piece of metal and riding at such high speeds. He still hadn't gotten over the car incident in the beginning of their second year.

"Well, you mentioned how you had gotten a motorcycle, and since you weren't able to bring it along we would get you a welcoming present." Her mother said smiling at the way her daughter had become so infatuated with the motorcycle.

There was no response from Hermione so her mother continued. "Well, we should get down to the school, and after I promise you will have plenty of time to drool over your new toy."

Hermione agreed and they both climbed into her mother's midnight blue Mercedes. Her mother turned the key in the ignition and the car started. They backed out of the garage, and exited the drive onto the road that led towards the main part of Forks. As they wound through the curves of the unused road she spotted a boy who looked to be in his teens running along the street. He was quite tan with a short haircut wearing a pair of black running shorts and running shoes.

She removed him from her thoughts as she decided to focus on the task at hand. Before she knew it they had pulled into the parking lot at Forks High. It was a group of several buildings interconnected by several cement walkways. It was not anything extravagant just very bland. The parking lot already had several vehicles, but luckily the class period had already begun which fortunately meant that there weren't a ton of people staring at them as they made their way to the building marked 'Office'.

They entered the office and spent the next hour filling out an insane amount of forms which could not have all been necessary. Finally Hermione put the finishing touches on the final question on the last form. The counselor took a look at her transcripts and prepared her a schedule. She was going to be a senior.

They walked out of the building to find that their luck had run out and the students had just been released to transition to their next class. She could feel hundreds of eyes on them from the second they stepped out of the office building. They made their way over to the car and her mother started the engine. They noticed the time was nearly time for her mother to leave for work, so they picked up their speed.

The town passed by quickly and they turned into the drive and her mother parked the car near the entrance of the house since it was nearing 11 o'clock and she had to be at an appointment. Hermione wished her mother a good day at the clinic and stepped out of car. She walked up to the entrance and unlocked the door with the spare key her parents had given her.

Her stomach gave a grumble, and she decided it would be a good time to have a snack. She wale over to the counter and picked up a bright green Granny smith apple, some smooth peanut butter, a knife, and a cutting board. She placed the cutting board in front of her and proceeded to slice up the apple. After she had her slices she topped them with a bit of peanut butter. She took her snack to the living room to watch a movie. She settled in to the couch and spent the next hour or so watching The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise.

After she finished the movie she went up to her room and grabbed a novel she had picked up from a bookstore recently entitled Blood and Chocolate. She went out and sat on the porch swing that sat on the back patio overlooking the backyard which ended at the start of the woods which surrounded the house. She was about halfway through the book when she heard her parents inside the house. When she entered the house she was met with the delicious scent of Chinese food.

"Hello sweetheart, we brought home some takeout." Her father said as he greeted her with a hug.

"It smells amazing." She told her dad as they walked over to the table to eat their dinner.

After they finished their meal her parents retired to their room and suggested she did the same, because she was to start school the next day. She prepared for bed and slipped under the cozy blankets, and she was lost to the land of sleep which had apparently chosen to take it easy on her for a night.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I would like to thank the wonderful MISS'Hannah-MarieHale'BOOKWORM for the vehicle suggestion. I completely fell in love with it and just had to choose it. Okay I'm going to apologize in advance for all my dialogue I know it's not very good. Please let me know what you think about everything.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: This is the new version.

* * *

Chapter V

New Friends?

The early morning rays shone through the windows onto her face giving her ethereal glow. The alarm went off and she was forced out of dreamland. She was surprised when she realized that she had slept a full night without any sort of nightmare. These times were few and far between.

She looked over to the bedside table where the ringing still continued on and reached over and pressed the button to release the alarm from its duty. Immediately she was hit with the realization that the house was awfully quiet. Usually she would hear the sounds of coffee cups and papers being adjusted. The silence overwhelmed her and put her even more on edge.

She got herself out of bed and checked the time to be sure that she had not overslept. There still were a couple hours until she had to be at school. She padded down to the kitchen where her parents were no-where to be found. However, she did see a sheet of paper posted to the refrigerator. She walked over to it and pulled it down to read it.

(Note)

Good Morning sweetheart,

Your father and I had to go to the office to

prepare for an early appointment. So sorry we had

to miss you on your first day at school. We know you

will do well. I love you so much.

(End Note)

She decided to go upstairs and went up to her room to prepare for the day to come. She entered her shower and washed up with her favorite honeysuckle scented shower gel. The Bathroom was thick with steamy vapors when she had finished. She had dried her hair with a blow dryer, so that it now laid halfway down her back in thick luscious curls. She had her hair parted on the side and her bangs were swept to the side. She put on some smoky eye shadow and black mascara to frame her honey eyes. She kept her lips neutral with beige with a hint of pink lip gloss. She added a bit of blush that gave her a light flush.

She walked into her closet and took a long look at the clothes that were hanging. She finally decided on a long olive yarn top with grey skinny jeans. She pulled on a pair of tan slouchy boots with a buckle detail. She went downstairs to have a light breakfast to settle her uneasiness before she took off to school. Walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a peach yogurt from the top drawer. She polished off the last bit of remaining yogurt and gave herself a pep talk.

"You can do this. It's just another school. You'll do fine."

And with that she went down to the garage where there was a brand new gunmetal Mustang GT convertible waiting for her. Her parents had told her that she needed something to get around on an everyday basis especially when it rained so often. She climbed in to the car admiring the comfortable bucket seat. With another deep breath she started the car and drove through the town.

Soon enough she found herself at the school. She drove into the parking lot and found a space right away. After she had parked she realized that all of the students in the parking lot were looking in anticipation. They had all probably heard the new student was starting today.

"Gryffindors are supposed to be brave" she said to herself as she found herself becoming nervous.

She gathered all the strength she had left to put on a brave face. With that in place she swung the door open and stepped out ignoring the blatant stares she was getting from the others in the parking lot. She grabbed her tan faux leather large tote bag which contained all of her essentials for class along with her textbooks. She walked across the parking lot and up the steps to where the buildings were located.

She walked into the building where her locker was located and opened it with the combination she had been given by the woman at the office the previous day. She took the textbooks from her bag and placed them orderly each in their own spot in the locker, except for the ones she would need. There was a loud ring from an overhead speaker that signaled the period was about to start. With a mournful sigh she made her way to her first period class which happened to be English in room 314 with Ms. Nelson.

She found the room without too many problems. Studying the map of the campus had definitely helped her with that. She entered the class to be greeted by a cheerful young woman who turned out to be Ms. Nelson. She welcomed Hermione to the school and pointed her to a seat in the row on the far left next to the windows that overlooked the front of the school. The seat was located next to a plain looking girl with brown hair to a little past her shoulders and brown eyes. The girl gave a shy smile and reached out her hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Bella. Welcome to Forks." She said she shook Hermione's hand.

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Author's Note: Hope you liked my second version of chapter 5 better. Thank you to all my reviewers, readers, and subscribers. Let me know what you think. Critiques are fun to read, and they help me write better chapters. So I want know what you think I'm going do with Bella will she and Hermione become best friends, worst enemies, relatives, etc. Please let me know, it would be fun to hear your theories. So sorry about that terrible chapter but I've been having horrible writers block. Luckily I found myself inspired to write at about 5 am which left me without any sleep at all but a way better chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Please read the second version of chapter 5 if you haven't already.

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Chapter VI

Beautiful Strangers

"Thanks, I'm Hermione Granger." She told her with a smile in return.

"So how has your day gone so far? It's not easy being the new girl around here."

"I'm adjusting to it. It's a big change from back home."

"Yeah it must be a lot different than England. Especially because Forks is such a small town and everyone seems to know just about everyone's business."

They both quieted as the teacher started the class's assignment for the day. They were analyzing Flannery O'Connor's 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find'. Several mind numbing hours later she found herself being escorted to the cafeteria by a very peppy girl from her History class that had introduced herself as Jessica. Jessica seemed nice enough, but there was something about her that seemed off. It was like she was trying too hard to be nice to her.

They approached another gray building which looked just like all of the other ones. Behind those double doors there was a thrum of energy that could be felt from where she was. A boy she had met earlier named Mike opened the door for them to enter. She walked through the threshold taking a quick survey of the room. A look of jealousy overcame Jessica's face when she saw how Mike was treating Hermione even though she wasn't the least bit interested in him.

The tables were all pretty much filled except for a few. Everyone was involved their own conversations, and for once they were no longer staring at her. They made their way through the lunch line and picked out their food. Hermione picked up a salad and a apple juice. Jessica steered her over to a table towards the center of the lunchroom. They took their seats next to several others that she had seen in her classes. She took a sip of the refreshing sweet liquid and studied her surroundings. Everyone was carefree and enjoying their break from the confining spaces of the classrooms.

She noticed the girl she had sat next to in English was sitting with a few others, but these others felt different to her. They all seemed more serious and tense, which was a big change from all the others around them. The boy sitting next to Bella was gorgeous. He had messy bronze hair and topaz eyes. There was also a small yet extraordinarily graceful looking girl with short spiky black hair. Next to her there was another boy, but he had honey blonde hair. They were all amazingly good looking, and they all had the same colored eyes. She thought this was really strange, but her thoughts cut off when she felt the probing feeling of someone trying to get into her mind.

During their training Hermione, Ron, and Harry had all become skilled legimens and occlumens. She felt the probing g continue, so she gathered what force she could after not having practiced magic in a long time and forced the person from her. She took another look at the others in the room but no one seemed to be paying her any mind except for the boy sitting next to Bella. He had a startled look upon his face as he gazed at her.

I turned to Jessica and asked her, "Who's that boy sitting next to Bella?"

"Oh, that's Edward Cullen." She said rolling her eyes. "He never talked to anyone around here except for his brothers and sisters. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted them all, but they all are like dating each other, which is really weird. At least that was until Bella Swan showed up. Those other two are Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale. They're both together." Hermione noted the note of malice with a hint of jealousy as she spoke of Bella.

Lunch ended shortly after that. The rest of Hermione's classes were uneventful. Hermione gave a sigh of relief as she made her way over to her car. She was a few feet from her car when she felt like she was being watched. She looked around when she saw the three siblings standing along with Bella next to a Volvo across the parking lot. They all looked at her like if they were trying to figure her out or something. She shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way. At least today happened to be Friday, so she wouldn't have to deal with whatever was going on with them until next week.

Hermione drove home thinking about what she would do over the weekend. There were a few guys that had suggested she go check out Port Angeles. They were excited about the races that were set up by some locals from around the area. Apparently they were very popular, because she overheard many of the people excitedly talking in the halls about a match between the two current top riders. Maybe she would make an appearance she thought as she continued on her way home.

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Author's Note: A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor is one of my favorite short stories. Jacob will be coming up soon. He's not the main character so there will be less chapters of him, but I do need chapters of his life if this story is going to go the way I planned. Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, and subscribing.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Ok, Ok by popular demand another tiny bit of Jacob. I know Jacob is really hot but jeez Hermione going to start feeling unwanted. Yay! Finally went to watch Eclipse. Thanks to all the reviewers, subscribers, and readers. Sorry for the wait I have a bad case of writer's block when it comes to this story. I will try to make future chapters as long as I can push them, but it's hard to get them to go this long.

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Chapter VII

Making Plans

It was Saturday morning and Jacob was spent. The guys had spent the week hounding him to go with them to Port Angeles. Saying things like how he was too depressed and that he needed to get over Bella. He finally had enough and told them to back off. The week was full of patrols and schoolwork, and without Bella's tutoring sessions he took a lot longer to complete his work. His lack of concentration when his mind was filled to the brim with the brunette that has been plaguing him since she arrived in town did not help relieve the situation.

He went out to the garage and looked at his motorcycle. Bella had brought him two bikes to fix up for them. It had been so great for him. She would come over everyday just to visit him. But that time was over now she had chosen the bloodsucker instead of him, he thought bitterly to himself as he sulked in his misery. Things were differently now, she didn't look at him like she did before. They were doomed to be friends.

Maybe he out to move on with his life he thought to himself. But how could he move on from the first girl he ever really loved. She had been calling him every day, but he could not bring himself to pick up the phone and speak to her like nothing was wrong. He was hurt and the pain of having to act like everything was fine was too much. By avoiding her he thought it would help him to heal faster. He might as well stop sulking about it. With that he went inside his house and picked up the phone. He punched in a number code and there came a series of electronic beeps from the earpiece as he waited for the person on the other side of the line to pick up. Someone picked up the phone on the other end and a deep male voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Paul, it's Jacob."

"Oh, hey man. What's up?"

"Are you guys still going tonight?"

"Yeah, did you change your mind?"

"I'm in."

"Finally! We're all meeting up at Sam's at 6. Em invited us to go eat there before we took off."

"I'll be there."

(Hermione)

"Have a good time sweetheart" her mother said as they exited the house. They were on the way to have dinner with some friends they had met at the clinic and become good friends with.

"You too." With that she walked up to her room to get ready to go down to Port Angeles.

She showered and dried her hair with a hair dryer. After that she flat ironed her hair so that it was perfectly straight with enough volume so it still had a nice shape. She exited the bathroom to go to her closet where she found herself every morning when she was in need of an outfit for the day. She dressed in a pair of her favorite black boot cut jeans that were well worn from the days of racing back n England. They were her lucky jeans. They had a delicate silver detail on the pockets, but other than that they were just your average pair of black worn jeans. She slipped on a white knit tee with silver and black graphic detailing. She pulled a pair of black riding boots. She also pulled open a drawer of accessories and picked up some leather riding gloves, because it was bound to get fresh that evening.

She picked up her cell phone and her keys off of the counter in the kitchen on the way to the garage. She walked to the entrance where her motorcycle jacket awaited her. She slipped it on and turned the doorknob to let herself out. As she stepped out onto the front porch area a motion sensor light turned on. She pulled the door shut and locked the door.

She walked to the garage where her motorcycle was ready to go for her adventure. She took the black helmet and twisted her hair, so that she could have it in the helmet without escaping into the evening air. Once she was set with her helmet she slipped on the gloves and climbed onto the motorcycle and began the trip to Port Angeles.

(Jacob)

Jacob pulled up in front of Sam Uley's house on his motorcycle, where several other motorcycles were lined up ready for their trip to the nearby city. He made his way up to the entrance of the welcoming home. He knocked on the door and it was opened by the friendly face belonging to Quil. A raucous could be heard from the kitchen where there was a table filled with several boys in their teens but with the bodies of men in their twenties.

"Didn't think you were really coming." Quil said to Jacob.

"Yeah, I wasn't but I figured it was time to change."

"Good for you. Ready for some food? Em outdid herself today. She made an extra peach pie when she found out you were coming."

"Really? She makes the best pies." Jacob said excitedly.

They walked over to the crowded table where they were met with several cheers and catcalls at their arrival.

After the table had been cleared of food that was now safely hidden away in the boys' stomachs the boys said their goodbyes to the couple that lived in the home promising to return soon. They each got on their own motorcycles. The whole pack had immersed themselves in the motorcycle realm after Jacob had fixed up the ones Bella had brought him. They all had their own motorcycle, even Sam. He had opted out of going this weekend even though he usually went along with the others.

A while later the boys found themselves in Port Angeles. The races were held in different places. The group that organized the meets worked with the city, so sometimes they were able to get sections of roads closed down to race on. This time it happened to be set up in an old private airport that had closed down several years ago, but the runways and everything were still there for use.

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Author's Note: My laptop battery has decided to kick the bucket, so I have to get a new one soon. Hopefully this won't interfere with my story. :( Wow, made it past a thousand words. I'm shocked. Well happy reading. Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Okay I know nothing about motorcycles, so if I write something that seems to be really stupid in the real world keep in mind this story is coming from the wonderful world of my unrealistic mind. Same goes for the characters even though I try to keep it as plausible as possible. Thanks for reading, reviewing, subscribing, and moral support. Please Review. This is unfair they look long in Word, but the internet makes the print so tiny it comes out way shorter. Well anyways here it is. Just a Warning the chapters might not all end up this long.

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Chapter VIII

Bikes, Boys, and Racing Oh My!

Hermione found the airstrip quite easily. There had been several flyers posted throughout the city. There were a lot of people already congregated around the area. There air strip was ready for the races with a brand new white starting line. She slowed down taking a look around, and she found a suitable place to park her bike. She positioned her bike and got off of it. She took off her helmet and her hair sprung from its cage to frame her face.

She looked over at a girl to her right. The girl had Shoulder length ringlets of dark brown hair with streaks of bright red running throughout her hair and blunt cut bangs that hid her forehead. She had bright green eyes framed by black lashes, black eyeliner, and very little neutral colored eye shadow. She had bare lips with a little glaze of clear gloss. She was wearing a pair of dark wash cargo jeans, black riding boots like Hermione's, and a plain olive three quarter sleeve v neck top. She was currently making sure that her white Kawasaki Ninja 250R was in pristine condition. She looked up and met eyes with Hermione. She stood up and with a bright smile reached out to Hermione.

"Hi. I'm Arianna, but everyone calls me Ari."

"Hello. I'm Hermione. Your bike is beautiful."

"Oh, thanks. Yours is amazing, too. So, are you new around here? I haven't seen you here before."

"Yes. I just moved to Forks a few days ago. I heard from a bunch of people at school about this. I started racing back home, and I thought it would be fun to check it out."

"Well I'm happy you did. There aren't many girls that are actually into racing around here. Usually the girls just come here to play around with the guys. My friend Leah and I were the only ones basically. She'll be glad too. She should be here pretty soon. She usually comes down here with a group of guys from the Quileute reservation near Forks."

"I'm sure we'll get along great."

"Oh, here she comes."

She turned and saw a girl about her age with tan skin, dark brown hair that was cut to a little below her chin parted to the side so that it was framing her face. She had deep brown eyes. She was barely wearing any makeup just a bit of brown eyeliner and some nude lip gloss. She had She was wearing a plain plum v neck top, dark wash denim jacket, riding boots, and black corduroy pants. Ari greeted Leah warmly and introduced them.

"So you live in Forks?" Leah asked Hermione.

"Yes, I just moved there actually."

"That's cool we don't get many newcomers. It's not a very popular place to move because of all the bad weather."

"Well it was just moving from one dreary place to another, so I don't mind the weather all that much. It's nice to be in a new place though, like a breath of fresh air."

"Well maybe one of these days we can all get together at the beach on the Res."

"Yeah that would be fun. What do you think Ari?"

"What about this Friday?" Ari asked them.

They both nodded in agreement. That was when a young looking boy came from the direction that Leah had originally come from. He was tall, thin, and had Leah's eyes. Leah saw him coming and when he reached the three he said hi to Ari before turning a curious eye to the newcomer. Leah introduced him to Hermione as her younger brother named Seth. They shook hands with each other, and Seth was slightly flushed when their hands touched. He told the girls that he was going to rejoin with the guys further down the lane of bikes where they had their motorcycles.

(Jacob)

The guys had taken up their place in the line of bikes. They had been joined by Leah after they had left Sam's. After they arrived she told them she would be back later. She was going to visit with Ari, which she did every weekend. They were basically the only girls there who were there because of their love for motorcycles.

The boys were just joking around with each other, when Seth came barreling down the row with an odd look in his eyes. Jacob was the only one who had noticed Seth's approach, so he alerted the others and they all were left wondering what had happened to make Seth react this way.

"Hey guys, you'll never guess what happened!" Seth started as soon as he got to the others.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked worried that something was wrong with Leah, since Seth had told them he was going to go check on her. She had only been gone a few minutes to go talk with her friend Ari.

"Nothing's wrong, but there's a new girl. She's hanging with Ari and Leah, and she has a killer bike you should see it. She's really hot too, and British."

That's when Paul decided to speak up. Everyone knew he was the biggest flirt and heartbreaker out of the group, and he would jump at the chance to go check out the new girl. "Well, it looks like we are going to have to go introduce ourselves then." He said with a mischievous smile.

Jacob rolled his eyes at the other teen and spoke up. "You guys go ahead I'll stay here."

"C'mon Jacob, don't be such a stick in the mud." Paul said attempting to lure him to come to visit with the mystery girl. The boys had been trying since they arrived to get him to approach any of the girls that were there, but he would simply ignore their antics until they gave up. Jacob just shook his head, and they realized that they were not going to be able to get him to go. He could be so stubborn sometimes. They left together leaving behind Jacob and Seth.

"So Jacob are you gonna race today?" Seth asked.

"Yeah. I already put myself on the list, so we'll see who I'm gonna go up against." The races were set up by the organizers. The organizers let people specifically request another person to race against, but it was up to the organizers to pair up the remaining racers. Each racer would be told the race number that they would compete in, and the races would begin.

(Hermione)

Hermione and Leah were listening to Ari's story of her most recent escapade that led to the bruise she was currently nursing on her right leg. As Hermione had come to learn Ari was a major klutz in the worst way. She had gotten several broken bones in the past from simply walking on a flat, even, and dry surface. This brought Hermione to wonder why Ari would even consider riding a motorcycle when she was already in such bad shape with just her own feet. As Ari and Leah had assured her she was a lot better on wheels than foot, which was very strange, because usually one would think it would be the other way.

"… and my foot just slid from right under me just when I was about to step on the next step." Leah suddenly made a sound of irritation and Hermione and Ari looked at her in confusion. She noticed their looks and gesticulated in the other direction meaning for them to look behind them to the source of her annoyance.

They turned and were met with quite a sight. Several guys were making their way in the direction of the girls. They were all quite tan, well muscled, and to put it simply: good looking. The guys walked over to them, when the one who was in front decided to end the silence that had overcome the girls.

"Hi Ari. So Leah who's your new friend?" He asked. He had an air of confidence and flirting in his voice.

Leah sighed, and turned to Hermione. "Hermione meet Quil, Jared, Embry, and Paul" she said as she pointed out each of them. "Guys this is Hermione, she just moved here."

Paul started, "so Hermione, do you have a boyfriend." Obviously he is not one to waste time.

Hermione gave a chuckle at Paul's bluntness. "Actually, no I don't have one. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious about the new girl." Paul turned and gave the other guys a look. "So, are you planning on racing today?"

"Yes. I just signed up a few minutes ago." She looked at him with suspicion. "Why? Are you guys going to?"

They all nodded in agreement. Quil spoke up this time. "Have they told you which race you are competing in?"

"No. They haven't let us know yet but they should be telling us pretty soon. It's almost time for the races to begin."

"Have you been racing for a while now?"

"Yes, I started racing back home for a while now, but I've always been interested in motorcycles."

"So you must be a pretty good racer, huh?"

"Yes, I guess I was. I was one of the top ones when I was competing before, but I'm sure that there are many other better racers."

At this Paul spoke up. "Well since you were one of the best back home, you should compete against one of our best right."

"I really don't mind whoever I'm racing, but I've not requested anyone yet and they probably already fixed the races."

"Don't worry about it I'm sure we can have it taken care of."

Before Hermione was able to get another word in, the boys made their way from the girls and towards the man who was assigning the races.

A bit later the man who was in his late twenties went up to Leah, Ari, and Hermione. "So you girls ready to find out who you are racing?"

"Yes." They said practically synchronized, wondering who Hermione would be set up against after the boys' meddling.

"You are up for the third race against…"

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Author's Note: I know, I know, I'm a horrible terrible person, but the meeting will come soon. I promise. Well at least this was one of the longest chapters so far. Happy reading. Please review. What do you think about Ari?


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Yay! The chapter is finally up. Hope it was worth the wait. Let me know what you think. Thanks for the advice from The Alternative Source. And let me just say that Beowulf has got to be at the top of my list of worst stories I've ever had to read for class. Probably followed by Romeo and Juliet, but at least that one did not take an entire Saturday to read plus the hour to figure out what it said. WooHoo! Started my very own first real job ever. Wow officially an adult now. If only this didn't take up all of the free days I had to do homework and such. Three day weekend so hopefully I can squeeze out possibly another chap but we will see.

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Chapter IX

Boys+Girls=Magic or does it?

(Jacob)

The boys had come back after a while. What Jacob found strange was they didn't even bring up the new girl into the conversation, but every once in a while one of the guys would give him an odd look. Usually they would have gone on and on about the new found distraction.

"Have they told you guys who you're racing?" Jacob asked them. Wondering if this would spark the conversation that was bound to happen about the mysterious new girl.

"Yeah," Quil responded. They were all up against random people. None of them had gotten each other.

"Have they told you?" Paul asked.

"No, not yet. Oh, here he comes." Right after Jacob said that they were joined by the man who was in charge of letting everyone know which race they were in.

"Hey guys, ready to race?" The man asked the group of boys.

They all nodded in agreement.

(Hermione)

Leah spoke to Hermione, "you should probably get into your spot your turn is coming up. Even though Jacob will get there like a second before the flag goes down."

"Okay" Hermione responded with a nervous exhale. She could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her system. Her heart felt like it was about to explode from the pressure. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She loved the high she always felt before a race, but she was more nervous to see how she would fare against this guy named Jacob.

Leah had a strange look when the man had announced to the girls she would be racing against some guy named Jacob. She just had a feeling that there was something more to what was about to happen than a simple race.

"So Leah, who is Jacob?"

"Oh. He's just one of the guys from the Res."

"How good is he?"

"Well he's actually pretty much undefeated. I don't think anyone has beaten him when he was really focused on the race."

"So he has lost before?"

"A while ago he was over the moon for this girl, and she broke his heart. He hasn't quite gotten up to his a game yet. Even with that he's really hard to beat. When it had just happened he lost a couple races, and he decided it was best to take a rest for a bit. This is his return race."

"That's interesting two people who haven't raced in a bit going head to head. Hopefully nothing goes wrong."

"Okay, Hermione you really had better start getting ready. You're up next." Leah said realizing that Hermione's race was about to start.

Hermione fixed the gloves onto her hands so they fit comfortably on her hands. She gathered her hair together and placed her helmet onto her head. Hermione made her way to the stark white line where another rider was already waiting. His face was obscured by the protective covering that was his helmet. However, she could feel the stare coming from the other side of the tinted covering veiling his eyes. They reached across the distance separating them from each other and shook gloved hands. With nods of agreement they returned their focus to the length of the track.

There were many bikes and people milling around on either side of the track. The official asked them if they were ready and he got two matching nods from the riders. Everyone in the crowd turned their focus over to the duo.

Hermione felt the thrum of the machine underneath her humming with energy waiting to be released.

(Jacob)

Jacob looked over at the new rider as their hands grasped each other. She was petite looking. He couldn't make out much else except for the curves underneath her protective outerwear. He was excited to see another new rider. Especially since he had not been out to the races since Bella had chosen the vampire over him.

The whole night had been great so far like old times except for the missing light skinned thin girl who usually stayed at his side during these nights. This left an overlying feeling of loss and regret for him and every once in a while he would be reminded of her and there was a ghost of a frown in his smile.

The man responsible for signaling the races went into his position a bit before the riders centered so that they would pass him on either side. He had a spark of excitement as he looked at the pair. This was bound to be something special, and no one would ever expect what was bound to happen tonight.

(Hermione)

Hermione focused on the track. Suddenly everything slowed down and everything seemed clearer. The outside noises died down and the only sounds were coming from the pair of motorcycles about to go head to head. The man lowered his arms as the signal to release the two roaring beasts on their way like a bullet out of a gun. The second his arms dropped the two sprang from their spots like eager lions taking down their prey.

As they went down the track they took turns taking the lead as the two battled for the better position. Back and forth they kept surpassing each other. No one expected that this would be the outcome. As the finish line was crossed everyone's, eyes had gone wide. Mouths were open in shock. Not one person was able to take in another break. It was such a shock to the system. Even the two riders who had stopped were left sitting atop their faithful steeds trying to figure out what had happened. They realized that they were still sitting on their bikes. At the same time they looked over at each other and turned off the engines leaving the night in a silent cloak.

They swung themselves off the machinery in a fluid motion and stepped across the distance between them. When the distance had been reduce to a couple feet Jacob reached up and pulled off his helmet to which Hermione responded by doing the same.

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Author's Note:!TENSION! Can you feel it? Tried to make it very tense and thick. Who do you think won? Let me know all of your thoughts. Do I describe clothes and makeup too much? Should I stop? I like makeup and clothes:(


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hello everyone sorry for the long absence. Have a happy Halloween. Be safe. Make sure to leave your comments they are always fun to read.

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Chapter X

Missed Opportunities

(Jacob)

I froze. Every nerve ending in my body was overloaded and it felt like I had just been exposed to color after being stuck in black and white all my life. I felt my breath leave me and I suddenly couldn't even move. All I could do was stare and take in the sight before me. The luscious locks were released as she removed her helmet. The luminous honey kissed eyes looked at me curiously. She was everything that I had been missing.

(Hermione)

I looked at the person before me. He was quite tall and muscular. He looked to be a bit older than the age that Leah had said the boys were. He was openly staring at me with his deep brown soulful eyes. Not in a creepy way, but it felt like if he was looking at my very core. There was something about him I just couldn't pinpoint, but I wanted to stick around to find out what it was.

That was when their friends reached them pulling them away from each other. They were lost in a crowd of noise and excitement as the others gushed about the race.

Leah and Ari pulled Hermione from a crowd of boisterous congratulations from several of the male racers.

"That was so epic. Who would've thought that this would happen in the race between the new racer and the hometown champion. We probably took five minutes before we could start understanding it ourselves." Ari went on to say to Hermione.

"Yeah I wasn't really expecting it either. We were all thrown for a loop." Hermione told her. That was when Hermione caught a look at the timepiece on Leah's wrist. She took out her phone from her jacket and looked at the time. Her parents didn't like for her to be out extremely late, and she still had to make the drive home. She had a slightly strained look on her as she gave a quick goodbye to her two new friends and made her way through the maze of bodies that had formed between her and her bike. She finally forced herself through the labyrinth of congratulations with a few thanks and got on her bike.

(Jacob)

Jacob searched through the crowd for the girl. Being held up continually by several others offering him their praises. He wound his way and he gave a sigh of relief as he finally caught a short glance of Leah. The new girl would surely be with her. He made his way past the last couple of guys blocking his path. What he saw was not what he was expecting. Ari and Leah were talking animatedly with a couple of guys, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

He went up to Leah and pulled her attention from the animated Ari. "Hey where'd she go?" He asked her in a low voice.

"She said she had to go back home before it got any later. Something about her parents not wanting her out alone." She said giving him a strange look. He had a concerned look about his face like a lost child looking for their mother. His mouth was turned down in a frown and a crinkle of stress lay across his forehead. As she said this the frown deepened and he nodded his head and turned away from her to make his way back to the group's motorcycles. When he reached them he saw that all of the boys had gathered together.

They each took notice of the solemn look that had presented itself on Jacob's face. They were all quieted. Thinking that it had not been a good idea to have brought him here and now he would be eternally sunk in this oppressive mood.

"Well, I guess we should get going it looks like Leah's ready to go." Quil said trying to ease the tension that had settled upon them. Leah met he boys over where they had their motorcycles.

"Ready to go?" She asked as she walked up to the boys.

"You guys go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow." The others hesitantly agreed and took off to their homes.

Jacob got on his motorcycle and rode into the distance unsure of where he was actually going. A few hours later he found himself alone staring out into the vastness before him. He was sitting on the cliff overlooking the ocean lost in thought when he heard footsteps approaching. He caught the familiar scent and mentally rolled his eyes.

"So who was it?" Sam asked Jacob.

"How did you know?"

"Quil was worried about you, so he called me. He told me how you were acting. I put two and two together."

"Well then I guess you don't need me to tell you anything why even ask?" I told him irritation laced into every syllable.

"I know it's hard. Believe me, but if you ever need anything we are all here for you. Don't forget that."

Jacob released a sigh. "I know. It's just really hard thinking one thing and the next everything you have ever known changes. What's worse is I don't even know her name or anything. She took off after the race before I had a chance to get to know her."

"It was meant to be for you two to come together. Fate will bring another chance for you. Just have faith."

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Author's Note: So hope you liked it let me know what you think about how the story is coming along. Any comments are appreciated and taken into account for future chapters. Have a good weekend.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Wow I'm beat. I've been working on this since I put up the last one which is kind of sad because it is so short. Well I hope you enjoy and I am going to make a special shout out to all of the people who left me reviews, because if you hadn't I would have never gotten this done. Thanks to : allielovesyou, readingwriter01, Desi-Pari Always, peddyviolin, NorthernLights25, Beautiful-Liar13Midori-Hoseki-Suichi, len, TheGigglingGirl, T, waxytears, ThePurpleDragoness, LauRawrCait.

Chapter XI

To The Beach

By the end of the week Hermione found her thoughts drifting to the race and the first person that had ever managed to tie with her. It had been a while since she had last raced and it had felt so good to let go and just race. Leah and Ari had kept in contact with Hermione throughout the week. Hermione was excited as she got out of bed that Saturday morning. She looked out her window at the bright sunny day that had appeared out of the bleakness that the weather was usually. Hermione went over and changed into her yellow swimsuit, a pair of grey corduroy shorts, and a forest green halter top. She grabbed her turquoise beach bag from her closet.

The girls had been waiting for this all week. She made her way through her morning routine briskly and efficiently. She was all ready to go within a half hour. She made her way down to the entryway. Her parents had left to a dental convention with their friends and wouldn't be back for a week. Their practice had really taken off and they were almost always working. Hermione was proud of her parents, but sometimes she wished there was someone there. With a last double check that all of the electronics were off she stepped out and got into her car.

A while later she pulled up in front of a modest home that Leah had described to her. She saw that Ari's motorcycle was already parked there. She got out of the car and inhaled the fresh scents the mountains emanated.

As she just about reached the door it opened startling her slightly. There before her stood Leah's brother in a pair of shorts and sneakers. Seth greeted her with a shy smile and invited her in telling her to go ahead to Leah's bedroom down the hall. She walked through the cozy cottage-like home. When she reached the room Seth had indicated she was engulfed by a force like no other. Ari in her excitement grabbed Hermione in a big hug with her shrieks of excitement filling the air.

"Okay, okay Ari you can stop strangling Mia the weekend is now ready to start." Leah said trying to keep a straight face after seeing Hermione's panicked face.

"Thanks Leah, it's good to see you both." Hermione said after she regained her breathing after the attack.

"No problem Mia. She packs a lot of power for such a small body." Leah said jokingly.

"Hey! I partially resent that. I am not that short; everyone else is just abnormally tall." Ari said with her hands on her hips. They all laughed merrily together.

"So I guess we should all pile in my car now before it gets late." Hermione told the others. "Did Seth need a ride to the beach?"

"No, he said he wanted to meet up with the guys. They wanted to take care of some things first." Leah told Hermione. They all piled into Hermione's car and turned up the radio.

Hermione pulled up to the parking lot where there were already several cars down the line of parking spots. She could see a pile of logs ready for a bonfire and several others relaxing and playing throughout the area.

"Mia… Earth to Mia" she found Ari waving a hand in front of her face and realized that they had been talking to her while she was scoping out the area.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was a bit distracted for a second."

"That's alright. We were just saying we should go in the water before it gets too cold."

"Yes. That's fine with me I'm ready." The three took their beach bags Leah's was a beige color and Ari's was an obnoxiously bright orange color. They picked out a nice spot to set their things close enough to the wood pile that they would not have to move when it came time for the bonfire to be lit.

(Jacob)

Jacob found himself enjoying the solitude of last of his run as he finished up his rounds. Running was always his moment to clear his head except of course when the other pack members wouldn't mentally shut up that put an end to it. Today was quiet for him because he had taken his time and the others were waiting for him at Sam's. When he arrived at the small cottage-like home he saw the others were all there.

"Hello Jacob, how was your run? The muffins are over on the table if the others haven't finished them off yet." Emily asked from the kitchen with her melodic voice.

"Nothing interesting happened. I would never turn down anything edible from you."He said with a grin as he made his way over to the crowded handmade table. Sam had built it as a present to Emily but ever since the boys hit werewolf-hood they seem to have outgrown it. Jacob reached into the basket and swiped the last one right as Paul was reaching for it.

"Hey!" Paul let out a cry of annoyance.

"Sorry Paul too slow." Jacob said enjoying the taste of victory which apparently tasted a lot like blueberry.

"Don't worry no one have a heart attack, there are more." Emily said as she refilled the basket with hot muffins from the oven.

Twenty minutes later all of the guys had their fill courtesy of Emily. They had discussed their findings and their schedules for the next week and Sam had excused them. Outside the others were trying to convince Jacob to go down to the beach with them.

"Come on Jake, stop being such a pansy." Paul tried to goad Jacob, but only succeeded in further annoying him.

"Jake just think of it this way if you aren't having fun you can always just go right back to sulking in your room. It's not that far." Embry reasoned.

"I'll go for a while, but will you all quit hassling me all the time." Jacob said in defeat.

"Not a chance." Paul said with a pat on Jacob's shoulder with a little more force than necessary.

Author's Note: And as always let me know what you think, what you liked, and even what you didn't like. Please Review . Thanks for reading, reviewing, and subscribing.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

Beach Girls Love Volleyball

Hermione wiggled her toes in the sand, the grains rough against her tender skin. It had been so long since she had been able to have a day in the sun with friends. Once, a long time ago she had gone

with Harry and the Weasleys to a lake. It had been a great day. She sometimes wished that day had never ended but it did, and she was brought back to reality when she heard my name being called by some others from further down the beach. As Hermione turned, she saw they were some of the guys who had told her about the races.

They approached me with wide smiles. The first one named Grey was at average height, slightly tan, and his defined muscles were displayed through the thin cotton t-shirt he wore. "Hey! We didn't know you were coming." Grey said with a flirtatious grin as he flipped his dark hair away from his deep blue eyes. His friend I had met before but I had not had any classes with him. His name was Jessie. He was a bit shorter than Grey, but he had dark brown eyes and light brown hair that bordered on being a dirty blonde color.

"Yeah, actually I came with Leah and Ari from the race. Have you met them?" Hermione asked as Leah and Ari approached eyeing the boy with curious looks.

"Nah. Well not officially anyway. It's kind of hard not to have heard of everyone when everyone lives so close to each other." When they closed the distance Hermione introduced them.

"Ari and Leah, this is Grey and Jessie. They go to school with me in Forks. They were the ones who told me about the races." The four exchanged greetings.

"Well hopefully we will see you later but me and Jessie were about to go play a volleyball game if you're up to it?" He asked an unspoken challenge laced throughout his words.

The three girls looked at each other and with unspoken words they came to an agreement. Smirking they stood up to Grey's proposition. "You're on." They said in unison. They walked down the beach where there was a net set up equipped with volleyball. They joined the others who had decided to play, and it quickly became a game of boys vs. girls when they realized they had even amounts of each sex. The other two girls were also from Forks high. Three boys Grey introduced as his friends Adrian, Dan, and Luke joined Grey and Jessie.

Hermione and Grey met at mid court to decide who would go first. They decided on a game of paper scissors rock instead of flipping a coin. With three fisted movements they revealed their choices. Grey chose rock while Hermione chose paper. The win was official as she covered his fist with a competitive smirk. She tossed the ball with ease over to Leah who would serve the ball. Everyone was in position as the ball was hit over to the boy's side.

Over and over the ball was pushed, hit, and thrown across the makeshift court. Every once in a while a close call left someone to dive for it. The game seemed hopeless until with a slip of hand the ball landed on the ground. The gathered crowd cheering and shouts of "one point to the girls" emerged in the air. The girls congratulated each other with a few quick high fives before returning to the game which had just grown in intensity.

Finally they found themselves tied at nine points with the sun beginning to set on one side of the court. The audience had settled onto towels around the rigorous activity. It was with one final spike by Ari that Jessie dove to catch but fell short by mere inches that the game was laid to rest. The girls cheered and celebrated happily before going over and congratulating the other team.

"That was a great game. You played very well." Hermione told Grey as they shook each others' hands.

"Yes, maybe one day we can have a rematch." He said with a chuckle.

"We'll see." Hermione told him with a mysterious smile as she returned to where Ari and Leah were standing nearby.

"So, what's going on with Grey?" Leah asked as they began the trek along the shore to the bonfire.

"What do you mean? He's just being nice." Hermione replied a fresh rush of saltwater meeting their feet as they strolled casually.

"Sure." Ari said with an exaggerated wink as she walked backwards in front of Leah and Hermione. And with that Hermione was hit with a barrage of teases from her two friends. Fending for herself, she led them slowly deeper into the surf when a sudden wave knocked Ari and Leah into the shallow water. Hermione took off running and the two regained their footing before pursuing her. After they caught her, they dragged her to the onslaught of waves that soaked through their clothes. Walking over to their belongings looking like they had just lost a battle against a super soaker, they began to wipe the excess liquid and twist the loose water from their clothes.

The colorful rays of the bleeding sun spattered across the sky. The growing darkness led everyone towards the warmth permeating the air from the bonfire. Music was blaring from some speakers. Hermione was enjoying herself relaxing after a long day in the water and sun. It had been a great day all in all.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted by her two friends from the lounge chair she had commandeered. "Come on Mia show us your moves" Ari said as they dragged her over to the crowd of swirls of movements and palpable energy. Hermione had lost herself in the rhythmic beat when she felt a presence behind her. She looked up to see Grey's deep blue eyes looking straight into her eyes and she offered a friendly smile as she continued the dance they had begun.

Several lights flashed over the crowd as more vehicles parked along the row of cars that had gathered.

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Author's Note: So sorry about the long wait and the cliffhanger but hopefully I can get the next one done before classes start in a couple weeks. PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and subscribing. Have a great day or night.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Ok I am so sorry. I have decided to never make update promises again because it causes major writer's block. It has been a pretty intense year. I finally was able to visit the UK and it was amazing. Everyone was wonderful and helpful and had cool accents. Thanks to all of the support. Please keep reviewing.

Chapter XIII

Boy Meets Girl…Again

(Jacob)

Jacob sat in the passenger seat of Embry's pickup as it rumbled down the road wondering why he had allowed himself to be convinced to go out again by the others. After a few minutes with the sounds of rock blasting in his ears, they pulled into a parking spot with their headlights emitting a bright halo over the crowd of teens that had been dancing nearby a bonfire that was crackling away and releasing bright red ashes into the air to swirl up until their light went out.

He shut the door of the pickup with a thud before he made his way into the area that had been designated as the drink station where there were several coolers loaded with varying carbonated drinks. He picked up a frigid aluminum can; the bright orange clashing against the deep toned skin that was clutching it. He walked over to a few guys, from the reservation, which were gathered sharing jokes and anecdotes about past events.

"Hey Jake" said a teen who was a few years below Jacob in school. The others noticed his approach at the announcement and gave their customary greetings.

"Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Great we were just watching all of the Forks guys falling over themselves."

"Really? What's got their attention?" Jacob said as he scanned the crowd of dancing teens clumped together on the other side of the bonfire. It was then that a flare of brown hair cut through the air as a girl was spun by her hand which was in the grasp of a teenage boy. He felt a twinge in his chest as recognition came upon his face. He immediately made to go rip the guy's hands off of his imprint, but his friends realized his intentions before the situation could escalate. He was held back as his friends discouraged him from starting a fight.

(Hermione)

As she spun she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise with the familiar sensation of being watched. She stopped and apologized to Grey giving him the excuse that she need a break as she walked over to a cooler as she scanned the crowd that had gathered while they were dancing. On the other side of the bonfire, there was a group of fit tan teens that she figured were from the reservation. One of the boys in particular stood out. He had deep brown eyes and short dark brown hair. It was after she had finished checking him out that she realized that he was staring at her.

She ducked her head as she reached into the cooler and grabbed the first can that came into her hand. That was when she felt a presence behind her and straightened so quickly that she lost her balance and gravity took over as her body went toward the sand.

She braced herself for the fall, but she suddenly felt a pair of very warm arms wrap around her to stop her from landing in the sand. She opened her eyes to two deep brown orbs hovering over her own.

"Hi" she said to her rescuer.

"Hey" he returned in a deep raspy voice that made her shudder involuntarily.

"So we meet again. Thank you for catching me." She said to clear the tense silence that had formed between the two.

"Anytime." He said with an intensity that made her flush. "I'm Jacob Black," he continued with an outstretched hand enveloping her hand within his.

"Hermione Granger, pleasure to finally put a name to the face. You put up a great race the other day. I haven't tied with anyone before." She said with a smile.

"Well you didn't do so bad yourself." He said with a crooked smile. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Sure" she said taking the arm he offered before looking to see Ari giving her a double thumbs up with a Cheshire grin from behind Jacob.

They strolled away from the bonfire arm in arm. "So judging from your accent I'm guessing you aren't from around here."

"And I was trying so hard to disguise it," she said with a chuckle. "Well I am from London. My parents and I just moved to Forks recently."

"Well, I'm glad you did." He said looking at her with a serious expression.

She flushed and looked away at the deep rolling ocean. "I'm glad I did to. It's very beautiful here, and everyone has been friendly."

"Yes well, it is such a small community that everything is public domain which sometimes makes it hard to breathe with everyone always on top of one another's business. My friends actually dragged me here tonight."

"And what would warrant them to feel the need to force you here?"

"Apparently, I mope too much for my own good." He said dramatically with a grin that made her heart ache.

"Well moping has been known to lead to severe issues like becoming a grump," she said laughing.

"Yeah, I definitely am glad they saved me from becoming a grump. That would have been horrible. Plus I finally learned the name of my mystery rider. It was worth the effort."

They had made their way back to her belongings when they heard the calls of Ari and Leah. The bonfire has dimmed to light ambers glowing before they would give into the darkness of night. "I'm sorry but I need to go back. I really enjoyed this though. Maybe we will see each other soon. I still want a rematch someday."

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Jacob asked before she could elude him again.

"When?"

"Is Saturday okay?"

"Saturday is great. Here is my number" she said as she took his hand and flipped it palm up before taking a pen out of her bag and writing out her cell number in blue ink. She blew on the wet ink to help it dry before closing his palm around it. "Goodbye Jacob" she said with a twinkle in her eye. It was a glimmer that had not been seen for a very long time.

Author's Note: Well I finally set a date. Hope you all liked it. Please let me know your thoughts and I will try to keep on my writing hat for a bit longer.


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